Chinese history is nearly as diverse as it is long. Though the line you’ll hear in China reads something like “5,000 years of uninterrupted history”, this is a bit misleading.
The country can certainly take pride in that it is one of the oldest areas to hold civilization – “uninterrupted”, however, is a bit of a distortion.
What follows is our attempt at a China history primer – a graphical representation of China’s dynastic past, with a smattering of details to give you just a taste. Simply click on the dynasty or era to get a bit more info.
